Sugoi Resistor Toe Cover

The Sugoi Resistor Toe Covers are warm and good for keeping out water and dirt, but the sizing and build quality on the bottom let them down.

Toe covers have become a staple for many cyclists today, offering far more flexibility and simplicity than traditional overshoes.

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The idea is simple: they are designed to be able to be left on shoes rather than laboriously put on for every ride, like overshoes. They aren't designed to give complete protection, instead insulating and waterproofing the front end of the shoe, where the worst of the water and wind comes in. They can be used underneath overshoes as additional insulation in freezing conditions or as a standalone product when it's milder.

For the construction of these, Sugoi has gone with a HydraShield polyester with DWR coating. For an upper it's a good choice for a toe cover because it offers a fairly decent level of insulation and waterproofing. Throughout the review I used these in some fairly terrible conditions, and nothing managed to get through. Inside the toe covers there is an effective micro fleece lining that also helped keep my feet warm on colder days.

The material itself is relatively thin, which makes it easy to get them on underneath a set of overshoes. However, they don't have a huge amount of stretch, which is uncommon in overshoes, especially given the one-size-fits-all that these offer, though the elasticated cuff did stop them coming off.

This lack of stretch is one cause of an issue I had with them: they are too small. I don't have particularly large feet (UK size 9, or EU 43), but because of the lack of stretch in the material it was a struggle to get them over my shoes, and even more of a struggle to get them over my cleats at the bottom. Given that there is no variation in size, it would be very difficult for somebody with larger feet than me to use these; I would guess anything above a UK 10 would be almost impossible.

The other issue I had is with the material on the bottom. Unlike almost every other toe cover I have used, these have the same material on the bottom as on the top. For an upper, the HydraShield polyester works very well, being waterproof and wind resistant, but for underneath it is simply not hardy enough. After two weeks I already had several holes in the sole, and this makes me question how long these would last.

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Also on the bottom is a cutout for cleats and, again, this could be better. The best toe covers I have used have a hem that stretches around the edge of the cleat cutout. Here these have none and, given the material choice, are showing signs of stress from fitting around my cleats.

Although £14.99 isn't going to break the bank, it's expensive for what these are, especially given the issues I've had with fit and wear on the bottom. I have a set of Giro Overshoes that cost me £13 and they've lasted without issue for over a year.

It's a shame, because the Sugois offer really good protection and warmth while riding. If it sorted the fit and fabric issues, Sugoi would be on to a real winner, but as things stand, I question their durability.

Verdict

A decent material choice on the upper let down by poor fit and material choice on the bottom